ONCE UPON A DREAM: Tchaikovsky is the King of Ballet. There is none higher. He composed three of the most widely loved and artistically immaculate ballets in history -- Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and, of course, The Sleeping Beauty -- and it’s difficult to imagine anyone ever topping the contribution that he made to the art. We all know the classic story of Sleeping Beauty; Fairies flit wild, girl gets cursed, boy meets girl and lifts curse, girl meets boy, wedding bells chime. But beginning tonight, we have the opportunity to see it all unfold as the ballet is performed by one of the country’s most acclaimed production companies. There’s no better way to celebrate the season of Love and springing out of the winter doldrums. The Sleeping Beauty was Tchaikovsky’s first major success 120 years ago. We would have loved it then too. more ›

So yesterday it was announced that Elton John was collaborating with Alice in Chains on their new album. AT LONG LAST, THE WAIT IS OVER. Umm, this makes absolutely no sense for more than a few reasons: 1) Grunge with pianos is a thing now? 2) Alice in Chains is still making music, seven years after their lead singer died? 3) Elton John is still making music, twelve years after Princess Diana died? Consider us officially confused. For the record, Black Gives Way to Blue, complete with Elton tickling the ivories on the title track, will be released September 29th, with a show at the Moore on September 24th. more ›

Seattle’s athletic misfortunes may be embarrassing, but at least we aren’t hosting the Jonas Brothers for the Thanksgiving Day halftime show. more ›

Why wasn't Andrea Vece's Layne Staley bio, Itch, Love Stories About Heroin, published this August as planned? Because the "author" decided "there couldn't be a greater tribute...than compiling a book of memories...and publishing it on the date of [Staley's] passing [April 5]." Blabbermouth recaps Vece's curious plan: "The first half...will now feature the original journal writings of the author...[the] second half will be titled "Memory Layne" and will contain stories from fans...as well as her 'experiences with the occult' while writing" Itch. What do Vece's occult experiences have to do with the late Alice in Chains singer? Can anyone publish anything? Ask Vece (or donate your Staley memory) at mediumpress(@)aol.com. more ›

In the midst of Seattlest's angst over the Seahawks' 33-30 overtime loss last Sunday to the Niners, we totally forgot to mention that Alice in Chains played at halftime. Duh. The 12-minute performance featured Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," and the band was accompanied by the Northwest Symphony Orchestra and some righteous smoke machines. Aside from the music, our favorite moment in the set was when Niner long-snapper Brian Jennings came onto the field to warm up, but instead made beeline for the stage, where he grooved out until the music stopped. Dancing alone in front of 67,000 people? Well done, Brian. more ›

Before there was Soundgarden or Mudhoney or Alice in Chains, there was Skin Yard and Gruntruck, two late-80s-spawned bands that foretold and influenced Seattle's grunge phenomenon. Ben McMillan, who died here yesterday of complications stemming from diabetes, fronted both bands. He was 46. more ›

Next year’s publication of Itch, Love Stories About Heroin means that if you've been waiting for a full-length, in-depth book about Alice in Chains' Layne Staley—well, don’t get your hopes up. more ›

Alice In Chains announced a tour schedule recently. No Layne, a duh, but the rest of the guys are doing a club tour of the states with venues like the Bowry Ballroom, the Metro and the Roxy scheduled. We don't care about New York, Chicago and L.A., you say, we want to know where they'll be playing in Seattle. Not on the list. After their appearance in NYC at the end of May they'll be going overseas to play more clubs and festivals through the end of August. No Seattle. more ›